Mike Voyle
| Full name | Michael John Voyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 3 January 1970 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Caerphilly, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 196 cm (6 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 107 kg (236 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Michael John Voyle (born 3 January 1970)[1] is a Welsh former rugby union player who played as a lock forward. Born in Caerphilly, he played club rugby for Penallta, Newbridge, Ebbw Vale, Newport, Llanelli and Cardiff. He made his debut for Wales in 1996 and went on to earn 22 caps, including two appearances at the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
Career
[edit]Club career
[edit]Born in Caerphilly, Voyle began his career with nearby Penallta. After spells with Newbridge and Ebbw Vale, he joined Divison 1 side Newport for the 1992–93 season. He made 80 appearances over the next four seasons, scoring five tries, as well as a single appearance for Cardiff in a brief spell at the start of the 1994–95 season. In 1996, Voyle moved to fellow Division 1 side Llanelli. He spent three seasons with Llanelli, scoring six tries in 81 appearances, before returning to Cardiff at the end of the 1998–99 season. After another two years with Cardiff, he had planned to retire to New Zealand, but was talked into returning to Newport for another two years.[2] In 2003, Voyle was part of the Newport team that reached the final of the Welsh Cup, where they lost 32–9 to his former club, Llanelli.[3] His final start came in a 61–9 win at home to another former club, Ebbw Vale, on 17 May 2003,[4] although he made a final appearance as a replacement in a high-scoring loss to Neath the following week.[5] There was speculation that Voyle might put off his retirement again in order to make a move to Irish side Munster,[6] but this did not come to pass.
International career
[edit]In international rugby, Voyle played for Wales at both under-20 and under-21 level, before being selected for the Wales senior team's tour of Australia in June 1996. He made his debut in the first test against the Wallabies on 8 June, coming on as a temporary replacement for Gwyn Jones before substituting Derwyn Jones. Ten days later, he scored a try in the uncapped tour match against Victoria, which finished in a 42–9 win. He was left out of the squad for the second test, but was recalled for a match against France in September 1996. He then missed the first three matches of the 1997 Five Nations Championship, returning for the 34–13 loss to England in the final match.
That summer, Voyle was picked for Wales' tour of North America, where he played in both tests against the United States and the final match against Canada. By the end of 1997, Voyle had become one of Wales' first-choice locks, starting the autumn matches against Tonga and New Zealand, as well as the entire 1998 Five Nations campaign and the pre-Five Nations match against Italy; however, he was left out of the 1998 summer tour of southern Africa. He came back for the win over Argentina in the autumn and the losses to Scotland and Ireland in the 1999 Five Nations, but only as a replacement.
After not playing in either test on the tour to Argentina in June 1999, he did come off the bench later that month in the opening game at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, a first ever win for Wales over South Africa.[7] A few days later, he was named in Wales' squad for the 1999 Rugby World Cup, to be played on home turf.[8] He made another substitute appearance in the World Cup warm-up match against France,[9] and was named on the bench for the tournament opener against Argentina, but did not come on.[10] He started in Wales' second game of the tournament, a 64–15 win over Japan,[11] but was left out of the final pool match against Samoa.[12] He returned to the bench for the quarter-final against Australia and came on for the last 10 minutes of the 24–9 defeat.[13] He made one more appearance for Wales in the opening game of the newly expanded Six Nations, which finished in a 36–3 loss to France.[14] Voyle finished with a total of 22 caps for Wales, although he never appeared on the scoresheet.
Personal life
[edit]In 2001, Voyle was found guilty of driving without due care and attention, and obstructing a police investigation after a road accident in Cardiff the previous November that left a student with two leg fractures and internal injuries. He was fined £1,250 plus costs and banned from driving for six months. He had previously pleaded guilty to failing to stop at the scene, failing to report the accident and driving without insurance.[15][16]
After his retirement in 2003, Voyle moved to New Zealand and became an estate agent.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ Mike Voyle player profile ESPN Scrum.com
- ^ "Heineken Cup: Pool Six". BBC Sport. 23 September 2001. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ "Llanelli clinch Cup triumph". BBC Sport. 3 May 2003. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ "Monty condemns Vale to bottom". BBC Sport. 17 May 2003. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ "Neath comeback stuns Newport". BBC Sport. 23 May 2003. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ "Newport wait on Monty". BBC Sport. 16 May 2003. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
- ^ "Wales record historic victory". BBC News. 26 June 1999. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ^ "Australia oppose Jones-Hughes selection". BBC News. 29 June 1999. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ^ "Jenkins' record haul gives Wales win". BBC News. 28 August 1999. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ^ "Wales win World Cup opener". BBC News. 1 October 1999. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ^ "Jenkins equals world record as Wales romp home". guardian.co.uk. Guardian News and Media. 9 October 1999. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ^ "Samoa crash Jenkins' party". BBC News. 14 October 1999. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ^ "Brave Wales dumped out by Aussies". BBC News. 23 October 1999. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ^ "Wales thrashed in Cardiff". BBC News. 5 February 2000. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ^ "Rugby star to stand trial". BBC News. 21 November 2000. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
- ^ "Banned rugby star may appeal". BBC News. 23 February 2001. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
- ^ Howell, Andy (9 June 2016). "He was once a Wales second row who made history... now he's a New Zealand estate agent who pinches himself every day". Wales Online. Media Wales. Retrieved 16 April 2025.